Construction begins on El Paso bond projects

Workers with Complete Concrete frame a sidewalk which will lead into the new skate park at the Northeast Regional Park Friday. The $1.6 million project is expected to be completed in the winter of 2014.

Work is well under way -- mostly behind the scenes -- on dozens of park, library, zoo and recreation center projects under the city's $473 million quality of life bond approved by voters last year.

"We're in the very early stages of what we're trying to accomplish, but when you look at the list of projects already in the works, I think we're off to a great start," said Bernie Sargent, chair of the city's Bond Overview Advisory Committee tasked with overseeing the projects.

The City Council approved a three-year roll out plan in February, which outlined nearly 70 projects on which work will begin first. The projects account for about $96 million, or 20 percent, of the bond and include $27 million for fiscal year 2013-14.

REPORTER

Cindy Ramirez

Most of those projects are now in the pre-design, design or bidding phase, and a handful are under construction.

A new $1.4 million skate park and parking lot at the Northeast Regional Park began in June, marking the first bond project to begin construction. This month, construction on several small parks known as pocket parks will begin, while others will begin to get improvements such as playgrounds and sports lighting. The zoo will get new heating and air conditioning systems for several exhibits and public spaces, and the San Jacinto Plaza's long awaited makeover will begin.

Last week, the City Council approved the purchase of two bookmobiles for $390,000. The existing 15-year-old bookmobile will be used as a back-up library when other library branches are closed for improvements or expansions, library officials said.

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Some of the bond projects in the works:

Magoffin Pocket Park: Construction on the $300,000 park with a playground, gazebo and benches should begin in two weeks and is scheduled to be completed in November.

Yucca Park: A construction contract for pathways, basketball courts, a shaded ramada, chess tables and other improvements estimated at $1.1 million is expected to be awarded later this month, with the work slated to be completed in January 2014.

Fiesta/Coronado Balboa Park: Construction on the new $400,000 park with a playground, basketball courts and picnic tables should begin in two weeks and is to be completed by November.

El Paso Zoo: Nearly $118,400 in upgrades to the heating and cooling systems in some exhibits and areas, including the ticket booth, commissary, Asian Discovery, and Elephant Barn are to begin this month and completed in September.

Outdoor sports lights: The Pico Norte and Sal Berroteran parks will be the first two to get the sports lighting for a cost of $483,000. Work begins in August and should be competed in November.

Design work has started on several projects, including the Pavo Real Recreation Center swimming pool enclosure, a training and instruction pool, and the expansion of the Irving Schwartz Library. The convention center pedestrian pathway and wayfinding projects, which will connect the cultural district with the entertainment district and provide signage throughout, are also under design.

The city is also looking for land for an $11 million recreation center in the Yucca Park neighborhood in the Lower Valley and an $11 million recreation center/library combination in the Chamizal neighborhood in South Central El Paso.

Some long-term projects such as the children's museum and the Hispanic cultural center first require that the city find locations for them, and if needed, buy the land on which to build them, as well as the creation of a business plan.

"Because those are new to the El Paso environment, there needs to be an operation plan set in place first," said Sean McGlynn, director of the city's Museums and Cultural Affairs Department. "You need that strategic business plan to guide what you're actually going to build and work with the community to develop."

That's especially important to these projects because they may become public-private partnerships where nonprofit groups or foundations are created to run them and reduce operating costs for the city, McGlynn said.

A request for qualifications for an urban planner to help find locations for the $19.2 million children's science museum, the $5.75 million Hispanic cultural center and the $180 million multipurpose arena has been issued, McGlynn said. There's not yet a specific timeline for the three projects because of their scope and cost, but none are part of the three-year roll out plan.

"The intent is to build those assets in Downtown," Mc-Glynn said. "An urban planner will recommend the best locations to help Downtown on its journey of revitalization in conjunction with other things that already exist Downtown."

The city last week presented the "Building Tomorrow Together" slogan and branding for the quality of life bond to the Bond Overview Advisory Committee, which emphasized the importance of not only keeping the community informed of the projects' status but also of involving the public in the process.

"The bonds passed with a high approval rate, but only a small percentage of the population voted," Sargent said, referring to more than 70 percent approval margins for the bond. Only about 21 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the November 2012 election, however.

"It impacts 100 percent of the population and they need to understand what it means to them," Sargent said, emphasizing the need for city leaders to keep the community informed on the status of the projects.

Cindy Ramirez may be reached at cramirez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6151. Follow her on Twitter@eptcindyramirez

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